Teams from across the Pacific Northwest are converging on Kalispell this week for the Cal Ripken 12U regional baseball tournament.
The prominent event at Kidsports Complex will begin with an opening ceremony at 4:15 p.m., Wednesday at the Miracle Field.
There will be a parade of teams followed by a speech by former NFL defensive end Doug Betters.
Afterward, an exhibition game will take place at the field. Games will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday. The championship will be played Saturday. The tournament will feature all-star teams of players 12 and under from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alberta and Montana. Because British Columbia did not send a team this year, Montana was allowed to add the Whitefish all-star squad, which joins the Polson all-star team that won the state championship recently.
The tournament’s top teams will advance to the Cal Ripken World Series in Florida.